v4 issue 37: Best of Etsy - Spring

This week we bring you some of our favorite Etsy shops. Etsy is community of independent artists and designers featuring original handmade items. PLUS: Contaminants in Bath Products, take a stand!


Cover by Christie Archer








1 A 27" x 39" piece of art which is both functional and graphically funtabulous! Definitely tons of bang for your buck with this masterpiece. Teach the alphabet, learn to spell a name, point out colors... Look, learn, & play the artful way.-Penny People Designs.

2 Get ready for summer. Vibrant colors, bold patterns, and a touch of feminine will make these dresses at Zozo Bug Baby a summer favorite. Available for girls of 6 months to 10 years. Enter code: TotTrends at checkout for FREE shipping.

3 Two to four layers of frilly, pretty fun. Pettiskirts from Rachel on the Flower are a staple to any fashionistas wardrobe. With so many colors to choose from, who wouldn't want a whole collection?

4 How sweet this is! A custom silhouette of your child is created and set as the background to a one-of-a-kind invitation. Complete with envelopes and 1 1/2" round address labels, a set of 10 is only $16.00 at Babycakes Art Enter code: tottrends at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase

5 Whimsy Couture is the place to find fun vintage inspired clothing for your little girl. You will adore this sweet and we do mean sweet cupcake twirl skirt. Pair it with this brown peasant top and hair accessories for just the right outfit for a special occasion. Size 6m-8yrs. Enter code: TOTTRENDS04/09 at checkout for 15% off, Exp. 4/30/09.

6 Dress up diapers with Sweet Smiles Baby. This talented designer creates and sews these adorable diaper covers herself. We love the denim pockets cover for boys as well as her girls Kimono Sweet Bottoms adorned in a large bow. Arrives in an adorable net bag ready for gift giving.Enter code: TTW at checkout for 10% off, Exc. shipping

7 Pass out a big WOW at your next play date with some of Candice Katie's Art. 48 of these brilliant business-like cards come packed inside the sweetest decorative tin. What a wonderful idea to keep things organized and quick in the chaotic world of motherhood.

8 Ambitious tots will look super sweet in this Sky blue onesie with applique necktie. Sizes 0-3 months with many fabric tie patterns to choose from at the Very KIKI's Shop. This one is too cute for words!-$15. Enter cod: tottrends at checkout for for 10% off your total purchase

9 Absolutely adorable A-line dresses from The Trendy Tot have the fabulous advantage of being flexible. This flexibility allows the dresses to be worn as a dress, a top, with jeans, with tights... making it a wise and economical purchase! Enter code: TOTTRENDS at checkout for FREE shipping on any in-stock SALE ITEM only. Exp. 5/1/09


Contaminants in Bath Products

Children’s Bath Products Tainted with Cancer-Causing Chemicals

Lack of Regulatory Oversight Allows Toxic Products in Marketplace

In March 2009, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a national report called Toxic Tub, which revealed that despite claims like “gentle” and “pure,” dozens of top-selling children’s bath products contain unregulated cancer-causing chemicals. The report found formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, both carcinogens, in several popular baby products including Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, and Huggies Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea baby wash.

Formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane are known to cause cancer in animals, and are listed as probable human carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency. Formaldehyde can also trigger skin rashes in some children.

Most Americans believe that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates cosmetics, but unfortunately, the FDA has almost no authority over the 50 billion dollar industry. In the U.S., these companies operate through “self-regulation,” and can use nearly any ingredient in personal care products sold here, with no required safety assessment.

Other nations, however, have stricter standards. Formaldehyde is banned from personal care products in Japan and Sweden. The European Union bans 1,4-dioxane from these products and has recalled any found to contain the chemical.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a national coalition founded by Clean Water Action and other organizations, has been working to move the cosmetics industry away from toxic chemicals in products like lotion, deodorant, bubble bath, fragrance and lipstick, as well as working to pass legislation that would empower the FDA to regulate these everyday products. While they have made major strides, there is no shortage of work ahead.

What You Can Do To Limit Your Exposure and Make Change

• Avoid using products that may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, including ingredients sodium myreth sulfate, PEG compounds and chemicals with "xynol," "ceteareth" and "oleth" in name. Similarly, avoid products that contain formaldehye-releasing preservatives, including quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, imidazolidinyl urea and diazolidinyl urea.
• Simplify: Select products with fewer ingredients and no synthetic fragrance or dyes, and use fewer products overall.
• Choose safely: Search Environmental Working Group’s cosmetic safety database, Skin Deep, to learn more about the products you use and find safer alternatives.
• Take action! Can’t memorize these lists? Nobody can. If harmful contaminants and ingredients weren’t allowed in products, you wouldn’t have to. Tell Congress you want safe products.

Visit Clean Water Action’s Campaign for Healthy, Safer Families and Communities for more information.

Sarah Holzgraf
Clean Water Action
(603) 622-8151
sholzgraf@cleanwater.org



Showcase- Em Tanner Designs

It began with a simple present-a "big bro" t-shirt....then burst at the seams with ideas! creativity continually rolls off the press at EMTanner Designs.

Em, a crazy mommy of 4, has managed to turn her passion into a company w/staff and a warehouse and she honestly hasn't a clue how it all happened! It is all pretty much a blur up to this point.





We offer surprisingly unique gifts that will please even the most selective shopper! How much fun are matching sibling tees on vacation? Pick up one of the original funky aluminum lunchboxes for your savvy school kiddos!



Clever dry erase family planners any mom is sure to love...or the quirky melamine plate collection to color code everyone at dinner time!

It's now going on four years and we just recently got a "facelift"! Swing by and check out our great new site and we are adding new products daily! The possibilities are endless with us!






Enter code: TOTTRENDS to receive 20% off your entire purchase.